Bloomsbury released the original UK edition of J.K. Rowling’s first Harry Potter novel.
Bloomsbury published Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone on 26 June 1997. The British independent publisher acquired the manuscript after it had been submitted to literary agents, and the book became a major commercial success for the company.
The partnership continued through the seven main Harry Potter novels. Bloomsbury handled the UK editions, while Scholastic published the books in the United States. The two markets used different subtitles for the first novel: Philosopher’s Stone in Britain and Sorcerer’s Stone in America.
The publisher is often confused with Scholastic because Scholastic’s editions became highly visible in North America. For the original UK publication, however, Bloomsbury is the specific publisher associated with the first book.